Dendrobium Changi Airport orchids are seen during the Orchid Extravaganza 2019 floral display at Gardens...

Dendrobium Changi Airport, hybrid orchids that were named to commemorate the opening of an orchid garden at the airport, are seen during the Orchid Extravaganza 2019 floral display, which celebrates the 200th anniversary of Stamford Raffles' arrival to the island and the country's upcoming National Day, at Gardens by the Bay in Singapore, August 4, 2019. Picture taken August 4, 2019. REUTERS/Loriene Perera

Mayara Mandai Sunlight hybrid orchids are seen during the Orchid Extravaganza 2019 floral display, which celebrates the 200th anniversary of Stamford Raffles' arrival to the island and the country's upcoming National Day, at Gardens by the Bay in Singapore, August 4, 2019. Picture taken August 4, 2019. REUTERS/Loriene Perera

RTX72B82

August 05, 2019

Vanda Miss Joaquim orchids, Singapore's national flower, are seen during the Orchid Extravaganza 2019...

Vanda Miss Joaquim orchids, Singapore's national flower, are seen during the Orchid Extravaganza 2019...

Vanda Miss Joaquim orchids, Singapore's national flower, are seen during the Orchid Extravaganza 2019 floral display, which celebrates the 200th anniversary of Stamford Raffles' arrival to the island and the country's upcoming National Day, at Gardens by the Bay in Singapore, July 30, 2019. Picture taken July 30, 2019. REUTERS/Loriene Perera

RTX72B7X

August 05, 2019

Moth orchids are seen during the Orchid Extravaganza 2019 floral display, which celebrates the 200th...

Moth orchids are seen during the Orchid Extravaganza 2019 floral display at Gardens by the Bay in Singapore...

Moth orchids are seen during the Orchid Extravaganza 2019 floral display, which celebrates the 200th anniversary of Stamford Raffles’ arrival to Singapore and the country's upcoming National Day, at Gardens by the Bay in Singapore, July 30, 2019. Picture taken July 30, 2019. REUTERS/Loriene Perera

RTX72B7U

August 05, 2019

Orchids hang from an arch during the Orchid Extravaganza 2019 floral display, which celebrates the 200th...

Orchids hang from an arch during the Orchid Extravaganza 2019 floral display at Gardens by the Bay in...

Orchids hang from an arch during the Orchid Extravaganza 2019 floral display, which celebrates the 200th anniversary of Stamford Raffles’ arrival to Singapore and the country's upcoming National Day, at Gardens by the Bay in Singapore, July 30, 2019. Picture taken July 30, 2019. REUTERS/Loriene Perera

RTX72B7S

August 05, 2019

Scorpion orchids are seen during the Orchid Extravaganza 2019 floral display, which celebrates the 200th...

Scorpion orchids are seen during the Orchid Extravaganza 2019 floral display at Gardens by the Bay in...

Scorpion orchids are seen during the Orchid Extravaganza 2019 floral display, which celebrates the 200th anniversary of Stamford Raffles’ arrival to Singapore and the country's upcoming National Day, at Gardens by the Bay in Singapore, July 30, 2019. Picture taken July 30, 2019. REUTERS/Loriene Perera

RTX72B7Q

August 05, 2019

Renanthera Singaporeans, hybrid orchids named to honour citizens of Singapore, are seen during the Orchid...

Renanthera Singaporeans, hybrid orchids named to honour citizens of Singapore, are seen during the Orchid Extravaganza 2019 floral display, which celebrates the 200th anniversary of Stamford Raffles’ arrival to the island and the country's upcoming National Day, at Gardens by the Bay in Singapore, July 30, 2019. Picture taken July 30, 2019. REUTERS/Loriene Perera

RTX700E6

July 18, 2019

A butterfly flies over a large crocodile in the Tarcoles River, a river with one of the highest crocodile...

A butterfly flies over a large crocodile in the Tarcoles River, a river with one of the highest crocodile...

A butterfly flies over a large crocodile in the Tarcoles River, a river with one of the highest crocodile population in the world, in Tarcoles, province of Puntarenas, Costa Rica, July 16, 2019. REUTERS/Juan Carlos Ulate

RTX700DZ

July 18, 2019

A butterfly is seen above the eye of a large crocodile in the Tarcoles River, a river with one of the...

A butterfly is seen above the eye of a large crocodile in the Tarcoles River, a river with one of the...

A butterfly is seen above the eye of a large crocodile in the Tarcoles River, a river with one of the highest crocodile population in the world, in Tarcoles, province of Puntarenas, Costa Rica, July 16, 2019. REUTERS/Juan Carlos Ulate

RTS2IXFS

June 20, 2019

A butterfly is seen on a flower on Mount Hymettus in Athens, Greece, June 20, 2019. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis...

The Wider Image: China's slowing economy: the view from the Henan heartland

Considered the cradle of Chinese civilization, the central province of Henan and its 100 million-strong population typifies China's transformative yet often tumultuous economic ascent. Long the sort of impoverished backwater that people left in search of better lives, Henan has in recent years enjoyed the fruits of an economic boom that has raised incomes and given people a taste of middle class lifestyles and aspirations. Zhengzhou, the provincial capital, was transformed into a transportation and logistics hub complete with a futuristic skyline and luxury malls, crisscrossed with freeways and connected by high-speed rail to more affluent cities like Beijing and Shanghai. A vast Foxconn factory in the city, employs almost a quarter of a million people and churns out most of the world's iPhones. However, the gains achieved in Henan and other inland provinces appear fragile, as living and housing costs rise, and China's economy slows. That is threatening the aspirations of a generation of young Chinese in cities like Zhengzhou. The slowdown also undermines one of the government's main hopes for transforming the economy by spurring domestic spending, as well as spreading wealth to the interior of China, which has long lagged the coastal regions that gave birth to China's four-decades-long economic boom. Reuters reporters travelled to six cities across Henan, from bustling Zhengzhou to the smog-choked industrial hub of Anyang in the north, interviewing dozens of residents from all walks to life to document how the economic slowdown feels in the heart of China. REUTERS/Thomas Peter SEARCH "CHINA HENAN" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY. Matching text: CHINA-ECONOMY/HENAN

RTS2I1WT

May 17, 2019

Considered the cradle of Chinese civilization, the central province of Henan and its 100 million-strong...

The Wider Image: China's slowing economy: the view from the Henan heartland

Considered the cradle of Chinese civilization, the central province of Henan and its 100 million-strong population typifies China's transformative yet often tumultuous economic ascent. Long the sort of impoverished backwater that people left in search of better lives, Henan has in recent years enjoyed the fruits of an economic boom that has raised incomes and given people a taste of middle class lifestyles and aspirations. Zhengzhou, the provincial capital, was transformed into a transportation and logistics hub complete with a futuristic skyline and luxury malls, crisscrossed with freeways and connected by high-speed rail to more affluent cities like Beijing and Shanghai. A vast Foxconn factory in the city, employs almost a quarter of a million people and churns out most of the world's iPhones. However, the gains achieved in Henan and other inland provinces appear fragile, as living and housing costs rise, and China's economy slows. That is threatening the aspirations of a generation of young Chinese in cities like Zhengzhou. The slowdown also undermines one of the government's main hopes for transforming the economy by spurring domestic spending, as well as spreading wealth to the interior of China, which has long lagged the coastal regions that gave birth to China's four-decades-long economic boom. Reuters reporters travelled to six cities across Henan, from bustling Zhengzhou to the smog-choked industrial hub of Anyang in the north, interviewing dozens of residents from all walks to life to document how the economic slowdown feels in the heart of China. REUTERS/Thomas Peter SEARCH "CHINA HENAN" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY. Matching text: CHINA-ECONOMY/HENAN

RTS2FKPH

March 30, 2019

A bee is pictured during a cherry blossom season on a street at Berlin's Lichterfelde district, Germany,...

Tulips are displayed at the Dutch Ambassador's residence during the Tulip Days celebration in Washington...

Tulips are displayed at the Dutch Ambassador's residence during the Tulip Days celebration, an event celebrating the Dutch horticulture sector and its ties to the United States, in Washington, U.S., March 28, 2019. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

Employees of German art insurer AXA Art unpack the damaged artwork "Fragile Identity 9r" by Matias Putus during a media tour in their depot that stores damaged art in Cologne, Germany, October 16, 2018. According to AXA Art, the art piece was moved to the depot after becoming the property of the insurance company when the policyholder received compensation. Picture taken October 16, 2018. REUTERS/Thilo Schmuelgen

RTS239NZ

September 28, 2018

A makeshift camp dubbed the "Gallinero" was demolished on the outskirts of Madrid this week and its 150...

A makeshift camp dubbed the "Gallinero" was demolished on the outskirts of Madrid this week and its 150 Roma residents offered alternative accommodation, but for those who have known little else, the change is daunting. "The new house will be better than this, but we grew up here. It feels strange," says Lipovehnch Bucurestean, 21, heavily pregnant with her second child. Her toddler son picked through old toys strewn around their make-shift house as the Red Cross arrived to transport the family and their belongings to their new home. Meanwhile, scrap collectors from another Roma community arrived in search of leftovers before bulldozers finished the three-day demolition. The "Gallinero" or "chicken coop" had stood on the side of a motorway leading out of the capital since the early 2000s, a fragile mass of corrugated roofs, mangled wires and rotting garbage. But some residents were uneasy with relocation plans outlined by authorities last year which include social housing and temporary shelters around the capital. REUTERS/Susana Vera TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY SEARCH "VERA EL GALLINERO" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

RTS224VW

September 20, 2018

Sun rises in a field in Republican landscape reserve "Nalibotsky" near the village of Kozliki, Belarus...

Alexis Massol, founder of Casa Pueblo, shows solar lamps used in the area, in Adjuntas

Alexis Massol, founder of Casa Pueblo, a non-profit organisation that operates with solar energy, shows solar lamps used in the area, as the island's fragile power system is still reeling from the devastation wrought by Hurricanes Irma and Maria nine months ago, in Adjuntas, Puerto Rico May 11, 2018. Picture taken May 11, 2018. REUTERS/Alvin Baez

RTX6910N

June 14, 2018

Solar panels are seen on the roof of a barber shop that operates with solar energy, as the island's fragile...

Solar panels are seen on the roof of a barber shop that operates with solar energy, as the island's fragile...

Solar panels are seen on the roof of a barber shop that operates with solar energy, as the island's fragile power system is still reeling from the devastation wrought by Hurricanes Irma and Maria nine months ago, in Adjuntas, Puerto Rico May 11, 2018. Picture taken May 11, 2018. REUTERS/Alvin Baez

Alexis Massol, founder of Casa Pueblo, shows solar lamps used in the area, in Adjuntas

Alexis Massol, founder of Casa Pueblo, a non-profit organisation that operates with solar energy, shows solar lamps used in the area, as the island's fragile power system is still reeling from the devastation wrought by Hurricanes Irma and Maria nine months ago, in Adjuntas, Puerto Rico May 11, 2018. Picture taken May 11, 2018. REUTERS/Alvin Baez

License plate of a jeep of PREPA reads "Puerto Rico, Island of Enchantment" in Utuado

The license plate of a jeep of Puerto Rico's Electric Power Authority (PREPA) reads "Puerto Rico, Island of Enchantment" as the island's fragile power system is still reeling from the devastation wrought by Hurricane Maria eight months ago, in Utuado, Puerto Rico May 16, 2018. Picture taken May 16, 2018. REUTERS/Alvin Baez

RTS1S06W

May 18, 2018

A cat sits next to a generator in a house without electricity as the island's fragile power system is...

Cat sits next to a generator in a house without electricity in Adjuntas

A cat sits next to a generator in a house without electricity as the island's fragile power system is still reeling from the devastation wrought by Hurricane Maria eight months ago, in Adjuntas, Puerto Rico May 12, 2018. Picture taken May 12 , 2018. REUTERS/Alvin Baez

RTS1S06T

May 18, 2018

Contractors of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers install an electricity pole as the island's fragile power...

Contractors of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers install an electricity pole in Utuado

Contractors of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers install an electricity pole as the island's fragile power system is still reeling from the devastation wrought by Hurricane Maria eight months ago, in Utuado, Puerto Rico May 17, 2018. REUTERS/Alvin Baez

RTS1S06S

May 18, 2018

Jannet Rodriguez (R), 44, uses a solar lamp while talking to her daughter Keimiliz, as the island's fragile...

Jannet Rodriguez uses a solar lamp while talking to her daughter Keimiliz in Jayuya

Jannet Rodriguez (R), 44, uses a solar lamp while talking to her daughter Keimiliz, as the island's fragile power system is still reeling from the devastation wrought by Hurricane Maria eight months ago, in Jayuya, Puerto Rico May 11, 2018. Picture taken May 11, 2018. REUTERS/Alvin Baez

RTS1S06Q

May 18, 2018

Wilson Reyes, 44, uses a solar lamp while walking in the dark as the island's fragile power system is...

Wilson Reyes, 44, uses a solar lamp while walking in the dark as the island's fragile power system is still reeling from the devastation wrought by Hurricane Maria eight months ago, in Jayuya, Puerto Rico May 11, 2018. Picture taken May 11, 2018. REUTERS/Alvin Baez

RTS1S06N

May 18, 2018

A house illuminated with the help of a generator is seen in the dark as the island's fragile power system...

House illuminated with the help of a generator is seen in the dark in Adjuntas

A house illuminated with the help of a generator is seen in the dark as the island's fragile power system is still reeling from the devastation wrought by Hurricane Maria eight months ago, in Adjuntas, Puerto Rico May 11, 2018. Picture taken May 11, 2018. REUTERS/Alvin Baez

RTS1S06K

May 18, 2018

A resident of La Chorrera neighbourhood tries to fix an electrical grid as the island's fragile power...

Resident of La Chorrera neighbourhood tries to fix an electrical grid in Utuado

A resident of La Chorrera neighbourhood tries to fix an electrical grid as the island's fragile power system is still reeling from the devastation wrought by Hurricane Maria eight months ago, in Utuado, Puerto Rico May 11, 2018. Picture taken May 11, 2018. REUTERS/Alvin Baez

RTS1S060

May 18, 2018

Workers of Puerto Rico's Electric Power Authority (PREPA) repair part of the electrical grid as the island's...

Workers of Puerto Rico's Electric Power Authority (PREPA) repair part of the electrical grid as the island's...

Workers of Puerto Rico's Electric Power Authority (PREPA) repair part of the electrical grid as the island's fragile power system is still reeling from the devastation wrought by Hurricane Maria eight months ago, in Utuado, Puerto Rico May 17, 2018. REUTERS/Alvin Baez

RTS1S05T

May 18, 2018

Workers of Puerto Rico's Electric Power Authority (PREPA) repair part of the electrical grid as the island's...

Workers of Puerto Rico's Electric Power Authority (PREPA) repair part of the electrical grid in Utuado...

Workers of Puerto Rico's Electric Power Authority (PREPA) repair part of the electrical grid as the island's fragile power system is still reeling from the devastation wrought by Hurricane Maria eight months ago, in Utuado, Puerto Rico May 16, 2018. Picture taken May 16, 2018. REUTERS/Alvin Baez

RTS1S05Q

May 18, 2018

A horse eats from the hand of a young man while being illuminated by a flashlight as the island's fragile...

Horse eats from the hand of a young man while being illuminated by a flashlight in Adjuntas

A horse eats from the hand of a young man while being illuminated by a flashlight as the island's fragile power system is still reeling from the devastation wrought by Hurricane Maria eight months ago, in Adjuntas, Puerto Rico May 12, 2018. Picture taken May 12, 2018. REUTERS/Alvin Baez

RTS1S05P

May 18, 2018

Residents of La Chorrera neighbourhood carry an electricity pole as the island's fragile power system...

Residents of La Chorrera neighbourhood work on an electricity pole as the island's fragile power system...

Residents of La Chorrera neighbourhood carry an electricity pole as the island's fragile power system is still reeling from the devastation wrought by Hurricane Maria eight months ago, in Utuado, Puerto Rico May 11, 2018. Picture taken May 11, 2018. REUTERS/Alvin Baez

RTS1S05L

May 18, 2018

Jannet Rodriguez, 40, stands on the porch of her house with solar lamps attached to the railings, as...

Jannet Rodriguez stands on the porch of her house with solar lamps attached to the railings in Adjuntas...

Jannet Rodriguez, 40, stands on the porch of her house with solar lamps attached to the railings, as the island's fragile power system is still reeling from the devastation wrought by Hurricane Maria eight months ago, in Adjuntas, Puerto Rico May 11, 2018. Picture taken May 11, 2018. REUTERS/Alvin Baez

RTS1S058

May 18, 2018

Residents of La Chorrera neighbourhood work on an electricity pole as the island's fragile power system...

Residents of La Chorrera neighbourhood work on an electricity pole in Utuado

Residents of La Chorrera neighbourhood work on an electricity pole as the island's fragile power system is still reeling from the devastation wrought by Hurricane Maria eight months ago, in Utuado, Puerto Rico May 12, 2018. Picture taken May 12, 2018. REUTERS/Alvin Baez

RTS1S04Z

May 18, 2018

A house illuminated with the help of a generator is seen in the dark as the island's fragile power system...

A house illuminated with the help of a generator is seen in the dark as the island's fragile power system...

A house illuminated with the help of a generator is seen in the dark as the island's fragile power system is still reeling from the devastation wrought by Hurricane Maria eight months ago, in Jayuya, Puerto Rico May 10, 2018. Picture taken May 10, 2018. REUTERS/Alvin Baez

RTS1S04W

May 18, 2018

Food is seen on a kitchen counter in a house without electricity, as the island's fragile power system...

Food is seen on a kitchen counter in a house without electricity in Adjuntas

Food is seen on a kitchen counter in a house without electricity, as the island's fragile power system is still reeling from the devastation wrought by Hurricane Maria eight months ago, in Adjuntas, Puerto Rico May 11, 2018. Picture taken May 11, 2018. REUTERS/Alvin Baez

RTS1S04Q

May 18, 2018

Alexis Massol sits in a cinema that uses solar energy, as the island's fragile power system is still...

Alexis Massol sits in a cinema that uses solar energy, as the island's fragile power system is still...

Alexis Massol sits in a cinema that uses solar energy, as the island's fragile power system is still reeling from the devastation wrought by Hurricane Maria eight months ago, in Adjuntas, Puerto Rico May 11, 2018. The writing on the screen reads "Bankruptcy." Picture taken May 11, 2018. REUTERS/Alvin Baez

RTS1S041

May 18, 2018

Jose Alvarez, 60, uses a head lamp while walking in the dark as the island's fragile power system is...

Jose Alvarez uses a head lamp while walking in the dark as the island's fragile power system is still...

Jose Alvarez, 60, uses a head lamp while walking in the dark as the island's fragile power system is still reeling from the devastation wrought by Hurricane Maria eight months ago, in Jayuya, Puerto Rico May 10, 2018. Picture taken May 10, 2018. REUTERS/Alvin Baez

RTS1S040

May 18, 2018

A contractor of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers carries cables as the island's fragile power system...

A contractor of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers carries cables as the island's fragile power system...

A contractor of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers carries cables as the island's fragile power system is still reeling from the devastation wrought by Hurricane Maria eight months ago, in Utuado, Puerto Rico May 17, 2018. REUTERS/Alvin Baez

RTS1S03Z

May 18, 2018

Residents of La Chorrera neighbourhood are seen through a destroyed house while they work on an electricity...

Residents of La Chorrera neighbourhood are seen through a destroyed house while they work on an electricity...

Residents of La Chorrera neighbourhood are seen through a destroyed house while they work on an electricity pole as the island's fragile power system is still reeling from the devastation wrought by Hurricane Maria eight months ago, in Utuado, Puerto Rico May 12, 2018. Picture taken May 12, 2018. REUTERS/Alvin Baez

RTS1S03X

May 18, 2018

Gladys Lugo, 67, sits in a wheelchair as a solar lamp illuminates the entrance of her home as the island's...

Gladys Lugo, sits in a wheelchair as a solar lamp illuminates the entrance of her home as the island's...

Gladys Lugo, 67, sits in a wheelchair as a solar lamp illuminates the entrance of her home as the island's fragile power system is still reeling from the devastation wrought by Hurricane Maria eight months ago, in Jayuya, Puerto Rico May 10, 2018. Picture taken May 10, 2018. REUTERS/Alvin Baez